1) UPDATED SURVEY OF NATIONAL FOOD INSPECTION SYSTEMS
2) EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION ON IMPORT AND EXPORT MATTERS
30) The Delegation of Chile informed the Committee about its national surveillance system for foodborne diseases, its programme for the control of sanitary quality of food, including sampling for microbiological and chemical analyses. It was noted that the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Fisheries Service (SERNAPESCA) were responsible for export sanitary certification respectively of primary products and of fishery products, while the Ministry of Health was in charge of processed products. The Delegation emphasized the benefits offered by its food control system for the purpose of commercial exchange and pointed out that the food commodities registry did not exist in the country. It was also stressed that food control programmes were focused on risk and that, although sanitary quality was assessed on the basis of end-product sampling, the adoption of the HACCP system was envisaged in the short term. It was noted that a Coordination Commission addressed the problems which were common to the sectors covered by the Ministries of Agriculture and Health.
31) The Delegation of Paraguay referred to the harmonization of its food legislation and upgrading of control system with the assistance of FAO and in the framework of MERCOSUR, especially in areas such as additives and microbiology, and stressed the need to implement the decentralization of food inspection through the municipalities. The Delegation of Trinidad and Tobago indicated that it had developed regulations on fish and fishery products incorporating the HACCP system, and that a similar approach was being followed to revise the regulations for meat and fruits and vegetables. The participation of the country in the Inter-American Network for Laboratories for Food analysis was also noted.
32) The Delegation of Costa Rica pointed out that the system of registration, followed so far by several countries, did not ensure food safety for human consumption and should be updated to follow a risk-based approach, and with the involvement of all interested sectors. Costa Rica was also participating in a PAHO project for the development of foodborne disease surveillance.
33) The Delegation of Brazil informed the Committee that food control system was shared between the competent authorities of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Supply and that two documents on this matter were available to delegates. The Delegation of Argentina stressed the importance of avoiding duplication of work and coordinating activities between the Ministries of Health and Agriculture and reported that this had been achieved through the creation of an interministerial Commission with an advisory council where the private sector and the consumers were represented.
34) The Delegation of Guatemala pointed out that food standards had been revised on the basis of Codex standards and that as a result of a convention between the Ministries of Agriculture and Health, the LUCAM had been recognized as the only official laboratory responsible for food safety analyses. The Delegation of Cuba indicated that its food control system, integrating the reference sanitary registry for foods and the concept of risk analysis, was under review. The sanitary law for animal and vegetal products had been updated by the Ministry of Agriculture, which incorporated the food safety authority. The Delegation noted the importance of cooperation between countries in the region to exchange experience in food safety matters.
35) The Delegation of Guyana referred to the reorganization of its food inspection and certification system, the implementation of HACCP with the assistance of PAHO under the responsibility of its Food and Drugs Administration, and stressed the need for model regulations in the area of fishery products. The Delegation of Barbados reported that the food control system had been upgraded with the assistance of PAHO and FAO.
36) The Delegation of Colombia referred to its sanitary legislation which had been revised and officially approved by decree in 1997, and included in particular the application of GMP, food control and surveillance and recognized the importance of HACCP implementation, as this system has been made mandatory by a 1998 Resolution, for the fish and aquaculture industry for export and import. The Delegation of Mexico indicated that its national food safety programme involved all concerned ministries (Health, Agriculture, Commerce, Environment, Fisheries), consumers, industry, importers and exporters as the participation of all sectors was essential to ensure an efficient control system.
37) The Delegation of Belize informed the Committee that a new competent authority had been created for the regulation of HACCP especially as it relates to fish but that the legislation still needed to be developed; control of pesticides relied on Codex MRLs but further assistance was required as regards methods for screening pesticides; risk analysis and the application of HACCP were being developed, and contacts within the CARICOM structure were especially important for export matters.
38) The Delegation of Ecuador stressed the modernization of its administrative structures and the importance of sanitary surveillance in this context; the food control system had been revised to follow a more horizontal approach, with the participation of all the sectors involved. Accreditation of laboratories for sanitary registration had been realized in order to accelerate the relevant procedures. The Delegation indicated that the HACCP system was being implemented in the fish industry for export and the home market and that the National Fisheries Institute certified the products of the industries which complied with the HACCP principles.
39) The Delegation of Bolivia referred to its national programme of food control to be implemented in 1999 and the new food legislation, in which priority was given to the application of HACCP, while the network of laboratories was well developed. The Delegation of Peru indicated that HACCP had been made mandatory in its recent legislation for the food industry, with a certain delay allowed for its application, and that the Ministry of Health was providing training for this purpose. It also noted that the application of this system was mandatory for sanitary certification of fishery products and asparagus for export.
40) The Delegation of Salvador reported that Codex standards were used as the basis for the regulations on milk products and meat and that microbiological criteria were applied to these products; the government and the industry were cooperating to implement the application of HACCP, and quality audit of laboratories had been developed. Quality auditing for laboratories had been implemented and the Council of Science and Technology was providing training to some laboratories in order to allow their accreditation.
41) The Delegation of the Dominican Republic stressed the importance of its programme to reduce nutritional deficiencies and emphasized the complete change in the structure of food control, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and with the assistance of PAHO, in order to follow a horizontal risk-based approach.
